Means for sealing packages



AUS 19, 1941- L.. c. KIMPLE ETAL 2,253,035

MEANS FOR SEALING PACKAGES Aug. 19, 1941. 1 c. KIMPLE E-r Al. 2,253,036

MEANS FOR SEALING PACKAGES Filed June 2, 1939 4 Sheets-Sheel 2 l' amAug. 19, 1941. l.. c, KIMPLE TAL 2,253,036

MEANS FOR SEALING PACKAGES Filed Jun 2, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Aug. 19,1941. L c. KIMPLE E-r AL MEANS FOR SEALING PACKAGES Filed June 2, 1939 4Sheets-Sheet 4 4Patented Aug. 19, 1941 MEANS ron sEALmG PACKAGES LouieC. Kimple and Floyd Gaines, Dallas. Tex., assignors to Dixie Wax PaperCompany, Inc., Dallas, Tex., a corporation o! Texas Application June 2,1939, Serial No. 276,956

Claims. (Cl. 93-6) This invention relates to new and useful improvementsin methods of and means for sealing packages.

One object of the invention is to provide an improved method which isparticularly adapted for use in sealing packages constructed of waxpaper, such as the bags in which food products are packaged.

An important object of the invention is to provide an improved methodfor sealing packages, wherein the open end of each package is folded so.as to close the package, after which said folded end is sealed topermanently close said package, the folding and sealing being done in acontinuous operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved method forsealing packages after said packages have been filled with a food, orother product, without damaging or injuring the contents of saidpackages.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved method ofclosing and sealing packages made of waxed material, wherein thepackages are carried by a moving conveyor and the open ends of saidpackages are successively folded, heated, crimped and sealed, wherebyeach package is automatically closed and sealed in l a minimum length oftime and without any manual labor.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improvedapparatus for sealing packages which includes a movable conveyor forreceiving the packages to be sealed, said conveyor being arranged tomove each package into a folding assembly which folds the packagematerial at the open end of said package upon itself to close said openend, after which said conveyor carries the package successively throughheating, crimping and pressure assemblies to seal said package in suchclosed position.

A particular object of the invention is to provide an improved foldingassembly for package sealing apparatus which is constructed so as tofirst fold the material at a right angle and then downwardly uponitself` to close the open end of the package, whereby the necessity ofmanually folding said material is obviatecl.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improvedapparatus, of the character described, wherein the various retaining andguide rollers and pulleys which guide the packages in their movement,are yieldably mounted, whereby a proper pressure, suflicient to maintainthe packages in proper position at all times, is had.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved apparatus,of the character described, which is simple in its construction andeconomical in manufacture, said apparatus including a minimum number ofparts which require little or no adjustment, whereby the eiiiciency ofthe apparatus is increased.

A construction designed to carry out the invention will be hereinafterdescribed, together with other features of the invention.

The invention will be more readily understood Vfrom a reading ofthefollowing specification and by reference to the accompanying drawings,in which an example of the invention is shown, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan view of an apparatus, constructed in accordance withthe invention, for` carrying out the improved method,

Figure 2 is a longitudinal, vertical, sectional view, taken on the line2-2 of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a rear elevation of the upper portion of the apparatus,

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the supporting frame and table,

Figure 5 is an enlarged longitudinal, vertical, sectional view, taken onthe line 5 5 of Figure 1,

Figure 6 is a transverse, vertical, sectional view, taken on the line6--6 of Figure 5,

Figure 7 is a transverse, vertical, sectional view, taken on the linel-l of Figure 5,

Figure '8 is a transverse, vertical, sectional view, taken on the line8-8 of Figure 5,

Figure 9 is av transverse, vertical, sectional view, taken on the line 99 of Figure 5,

Figure 10 is an enlarged isometric view of the folding assembly block,

Figure 11 is an isometric view of one of the bearing supports for theroller shaft,

Figure 12 is an isometric view of one of the crimping rollers,

Figure 13 is a vertical, sectional view taken on the line |3-l3 ofFigure l,- and Figure 14 is a schematic view, illustrating the varioussteps of the improved method, whereby the package is folded and sealed.

In the drawings, the numeral I0 designates a flat table or support whichis provided with vertical standards or legs Il (Figure 4). A supportingframework i3 is secured to the llegs of the table and an elongateplatform or deck I 4 is secured to the framework I3 by inclined bracesl5. As is clearly .shown in Figure 8,' the deck I4 is disposed in aplane above the top of the table l0. The length of the deck I4 isgreater than the length of the table I0, whereby the ends of said'chips, corn chips and the like.

deck extend beyond the transverse edges of the table. y

A bearing support I6 is mounted on the longitudinal bar I3a of theframework I3, being disposed at one end of said bar. A transverselyextending shaft I1 has one end Journaled in the bearing I6 while itsopposite end is mounted in a similar bearing I6', kwhich latter bearingis mounted on short supporting bars I3v which form a part of theframework I3. The shaft I1 extends beneath one end of the longitudinaldeck I4 and is provided with a pair of vsprockets I8 which are securedone on each side of said deck, as is clearly shown in Figure 1. Abearing bracket I6a, similar to the bearing I6, is mounted on theopposite end of the longitudinal frame bar I3a. One end of a transverseshaft I1a is journaled in the bearing I6a, while the opposite end ofsaid shaft is secured in a bearing bracket I6b, which bracket is securedto the top of the table I0. As is clearly shown in- Figure 1, the shaftI1a extends beneath the end of the deck I4 and is provided with a pairof sprockets I9, which are disposed one at each longitudinal edge ofsaid deck. The sprockets I9 on the shaft I1a are alined with thesprockets I8 on the shaft I1, whereby a pair ofv endless chains 20 maypass'around said sprockets. Manifestly, when one of the shafts isrotated, the chains travel over the sprockets. For rotating the shaftI1, said shaft is provided with a drive gear 2| which is secured on saidshaft beyond the bearing support I6'. An endless drive chain 22 isutilized to rotate the gear 2|, as will be hereinafter explained.

The elongated deck I4 is adapted to receive the packages which are to beclosed and sealed and in order to move said packages longitudinally ofsaid deck a plurality' of angle bars 23 are provided. Each bar has oneend secured by means of an angle member 24 to one of the chains 20, asis clearly shown in Figure 8. The other end of the angle bar 23 issecured to the other chain by a similar member. By observing Figure 1,it'will be seen that the bars 23 are spaced throughout the length of thechains 20 and, when the shaft I1 is rotated, the angle bars 23 arevmoved longitudinally of the deck I4. Since the chains are located, oneon each side of the deck I4, the bars 23 span and overlie the deck.Also, the deck serves as a support for said bars which move therealongas the sprockets I8 and I9 are rotated. The spacing between the bars 23is,of course, subject to variation, but it is preferable that thisspacing be such that one package can be placed or received betweenadjacent bars. Y

It is possible to seal various types of. containers or packages but thepackages shown in the drawing have been illustrated as bags or sacks A,which receive food products, such as potato The containers may be filledin any suitable manner and 'the filled containers placed on the leftside in Figure 1 of the deck I4. As the conveyor, which is formed by thechains 20 and the bars 23, moves longitudinally of the deck, one of thebars will strike the package A, which is indicated in dotted lines inthis ligure. Obviously, as the conveyor moves longitudinally of thedeck, the package A will be carried along said deck by said conveyor.AFor properly positioning each package on the deck, a guide member orplate 25 is provided. This guide plate extends vertically and is securedto an upright 25, which upright is mounted on one of the bars I3' of theframework I3. The vertical face of the plate 25 extends parallel to thelongitudinal edge of the deck I4 and when the package A is placed onsaid deck between two of the bars 23 of the conveyor, the open end ofsaid container is placed against this vertical face. The guide plate 25is positioned so that the open end of the package is properly positionedto pass through the succeeding element of the apparatus, as will behereinafter explained. It is pointed out that the guide plate 25 isspaced from the longitudinal edge of the deck (Figure 1), whereby theopen end of the package A extends beyond the longitudinal edge of saiddeck.

-For clamping the extended end of each package, as said package moveslongitudinally of the right 26. The belt also passes around a pulley.

3|, which is mounted on a shaft 321 The shaft 32 is journaled in asuitable bearing 33, which bearing is mounted on the table I0 (Figure1). The belt 21 also engages a plurality of intermediate pulleys, whichwill be hereinafter explained. The lower belt 28 passes over a pulley35, which is mounted on the shaft I1 of the conveyor. 'I'his belt alsopasses over a second pulley 36, which is spaced from the pulley 35 andwhich is mounted immediately below the pulley 3l of the upper belt 21.The pulleyl 36 is mounted on a shaft 31, which shaft is connectedthrough suitable gears with the shaft 32 on which the pulley 3I ismounted. The belt 26 also passes over a plurality of intermediatepulleys, as will be explained, and is arranged to extend contiguous tothe upper belt 21 throughout a goodly portion of its length. With theabove arrangement, when the drive shaft I1 of the conveyor is rotated,the pulley 35 is also rotated, whereby the lower belt 28 is caused tomove over its pulley. Since the pulleys 36 and 3l are geared together,the upper belt 21 will also be caused to travel over its pulley. As isclearly shown in Figure 2, the lower belt f28 is longer than the upperbelt 21, whereby when a package A is placed on the deck, with its openend engaging the guide plate 25, said open end of the package overliesthe belt 28. As the conveyor moves longitudinally of the deck, thepackage is carried to the right in Figures 1 and'2, and the open orextended end of said package is moved between the belts 21 and 28 so asto be firmly clamped therebetween. ,It is noted that the belts 21 and 28are cylindrical in cross-section, as is clearly shown in Figures 6 to 8.

For guiding the belts 21 and 28 into engagement with each other, so thatthe extended end in the upper end of the support 4I. A plate 46- lcloses the upper end of the slot 45 and a coiled spring 41 is confinedbetween the upper end of the supporting block 44 and said plate, wherebysaid spring constantly urges the shaft 43 and roller 39 downwardly intoengagement with the lower roller 38. The shafts 40 and 43 are extendedbeyond the upright support 4| and are provided with meshing gears 48,whereby said shafts and the rollers are simultaneously rotated at thesame speed. Each roller is formed with a groove 49 at the outer edgeportion of its periphery and said groove forms a pulley wheel throughwhich the belts 21 and 28 are guided.

Adjacent the rollers 38 and 39 and mounted in a similar manner on anupright support 4Ia are a pair of rollers 50 and 5|, the lower rollerbeing mounted on a shaft 58a and being spaced a fixed distance from thesupport. The upper roller 5| has its shaft 5|a mounted within a block.similar to the block 44, whereby the upper roller is constantly urgeddownwardly into engagement with the lower roller. The rollers 58 and 5|have their shafts connected by meshing gears 52 so as to rotate therollers simultaneously and at the same speed. The rollers 58 and 5| arealso provided with grooves 53 at the outer portion of their periphery,whereby guide pulleys for the belts 21 and 28 are provided.

As explained, the rollers 38 and 39 are exactly alike in construction,but this is not true of the rollers 50 and 5| for, as is clearly shownin Figure r1,the lower roller. 50 is formed with an annular flange 54.This flange is formed at the inner side of the roller 50 and ispreferably made integral therewith. As illustrated, the flange extendsoutwardly from the 4periphery of the roller 58 and abuts the inner faceof the upper roller 5|. The purpose of this flange is to fold thematerial of which fthe package is constructed upwardly at substantiallya right angle, as will be hereinafter explained.

Immediately behind the rollers 38, 39, 50 and 5| is a curved guide shoe55. This guide shoe has a horizontal portion which is adjacent the endof the guide plate 25 (Figure 1) and said shoe is bent upon itself sothat the remainder thereof is curved to a vertical position, thevertical portion being immediately behind the peripheral edge of therollers 58 and 5|. The shoe is welded or otherwise secured to thesupport 4| (Figure 6). The purpose of this shoe is to support the openend of the package passing between the rollers 38 and 39 and also toguide the end of said package into `the folding assembly block B, whichis immediately adjacent the rollers 58 and 5| and which will now bedescribed in detail.

The block B (Figures 9 and 10) is substantially T-shaped incross-section and is supported upon a channel member 56 which is securedto the top of the table Ill. .The upper end of the block is formed witha longitudinally extending groove 51 which extends throughout` thelength of the block. The end of the block, which is -adjacent therollers 50 and 5|, is cut away as shown at 58.' The groove 51 is flaredupwardly to meet the cutaway portion whereby the upper portion of thegroove is inclined as shown at 59. An elongate bar or finger 80 isdisposed within the enlarged end of the groove 51 and is supported by anupright arm 6| which has its upper end secured to a boss 62 which isformed integral with the top of the block.' The finger, as is clearlyshown in Figures 5 and 10, is spaced from the bottom of the groove asuflicient distance to permit the extended portion of the bag, which istravelling along the conveyor between the belts 21 and 28, to passtherebeneath. In addition to the boss 62', the top of the block B isformed with a pair of other bosses 62 and 62a, these bosses being spacedfrom each other and from the first mentioned boss 62. l

A trio of guide pulleys 63 are mounted on shafts 64, which shafts extendthrough the bosses 62, 62' and 62a. 'Ihe shafts are journaled within thebosses, whereby the pulleys 63 are freely rotatable. 'I'he pulleys 63are in the same plane as the pulleys or grooves 49 and 53 on the rollers39 and 5I, whereby the upper belt 21 may ride in the grooves thereof.

A lower trio of pulleys 65 are mounted immediately below the pulleys 63and each pulley 65 is secured on a shaft 66. Each shaft is journaledwithin a flanged bearing support 61 (Figure 11). Each bearing support isslidable vertically within a vertical slot 68 formed in the block B anda coiled spring 69 engages the underside of said support. The lower endof each spring is-mounted within a recess 10 formed in the top of thechannel member 56 and the coiled springs 69 exert their pressure toconstantly urge the bearing supports 61 upwardly, whereby the pulleys 65are urged upwardly toward the` upper pulleys 63. The pulleys 65 are inthe same vertical plane as the pulleys 49 and 53 on the rollers 38 and58, whereby the lower belt 28 may pass thereover. With Ithe abovearrangement, the pulleys 65 are yieldable, whereby a clamping engagementof the extended end of the package A by the belts 21 and 28 is assured.

The rear portion of the block B is formed with recesses 1|, whichrecesses receive a pair of electrical heating elements 12. When theheating elements are operated, they serve to heat the Vupper portion ofthe block, whereby the end of the package, which is travelling throughthe groove 51, will be heated, as will be more fully explained.

From the above, it will be seen that a package placed on the deck I4will be carried successively through the rollers 38 and 39, thenthroughthe rollers 50 and 5| andl then through the groove 51 of thefolding assembly block B. After passing from the block B, the packagewill be carried between a pair `of crimping rollers 14. The periphery ofeach crimping roller is formed with a plurality of transverse andperipheral grooves or ridges 15, whereby that portion of the bag orpackage A passing between said rollers will be crimped. The mounting ofthe crimping rollers is clearly shown in Figure 5, the lower rollerbeing fixed on a shaft 15 which yis mounted within an upright support 16extending upwardly from the table I8. The upper rollerv is mounted on ashaft 11, which shaft has its end journaled in a block 18. The block is`formed with a slot 19 and is slidable on an upright bar 80,V as isclearly shown in Figure 3. The bar 88 has its upper end bent atsubstantially a right angle and an adjusting screw 8| is threadedthrough the horizontally extending portion of the bar. The lower end ofthe adjusting screw is secured to the block 18 and it is manifest thatwhen said screw is rotated, the block 18 will be lowered or raised onthe supporting bar 88. Since the upper roller 14 is carried by theblock18, an adjustment `of said block vertically will adjust the upperroller relative to the lower roller 14. In this manner, the pressure ofthe rollers against each other may be readily adjusted. The shafts 15and 11 are connected by meshing gears 15a and the outer portion of theperipheries of the rollers are grooved to receive the belts 21 and 23.

After passing betweenthe crimping rollers 14, the package A is conveyedto a pair of pressure belts 82 and 83. The upper belt 82 encircles aroller 84, which roller is made integral with the u pulley 3i over whichthe belt 21 passes. 'This upper belt also passes over a roller 85, whichis mounted on a shaft 88 supported in ap upright 81. 4The lower belt 83passes over a roller 88, which is made integral with the pulley 38 overwhich the belt 28 passes. The fiat pressure belt 83 also encircles aroller 89, which is mounted on a shaft 90, also supported in the upright81. The pressure belts 82 and 83 are flat. and are held in close contactwith each other by means of a flat spring member 90', which is shown inFigure 13. The spring member 90 overlies the upper belt 82 and has oneend secured to a lateral deck or supporting bar 9|, which bar is carriedby posts 92 extending upwardlyfrom the table I0. This arrangementassures that the belts 82 and 83 will travelin close proximity to eachother, whereby when the end of the package A is passed therebetween, thebelts will exert a pressure against said package.

Any suitable gearing or mechanism may be utilized to drive the conveyorand the various rollers and pulleys but, as illustrated, an electricalmotor 95 is provided. This motor is mounted on the table I and hasconnection through a worm and gear 96 with the shaft 31 on which theroller 88 and pulley 38 are mounted. Therefore, when the motor isoperating, the shaft 31 is rotated to drive the belts 28 and 83. Sincethe shaft of the roller 88 is geared to the shaft 32 of the roller 84and pulley 3l. it will be obvious that a rotation of the shaft 31 willimpart a similar rotation to the shaft 32 to drive the belts 21 and 82.

For driving the shaft of the lower crimping roller 14, a chain drive 91connects the shaft 31 with the shaft 15. Therefore, when the motor isoperating, the rotation of the shaft 31 imparts a rotation to thecrimping rollers 14. A chain drive 98 connects the shaft 15 with theshaft 50a of the roller 50. Since the roller 58 is geared to the roller5| through the intermeshing gears l52, these rollers will operate orrevolve at the same speed. A chain drive 99 connects the shaft 50a withthe shaft 48 of the roller 38, whereby a simultaneous rotation of therollers 38 and 39 may be obtained. The chain 22 which passes over thesprocket 2| on the conveyor d rive shaft I1, as has been explained,passes over a similar sprocket 2Ia which is provided on the shaft 48and, thus, it will be seen that the various chain drives will operatethe conveyor, rollers, pulleys and belts at the same rate of speed. Ofcourse, if desired, another method of driving the various parts may beemployed.

In the operation of the device and apparatus, reference is made toFigure 14 which schematically shows the various steps of the method asperformed by the apparatus hereinbefore described. The package A, whichhas been shown as a bag or sack, which is constructed of a waxed paper,is first filled with the product and is then .placed on the deck I4between two of the transverse conveyor bars 23. When in position on thedeck, the open end of the sack abuts the vertical surface of the guidebar or plate 25, as indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 1. In suchposition, the inner portion of the bag or package A overlies the lowercircular belt 28. Since the conveyor chains 28 are constantly operating,it will be manifest that the bar 23 will strike the side of the packageA and move the same toward the right in Figures 1 and 2. As the conveyormoves the package A inwardly, said package is moved between the belts 21and 28 which meet at the rollers 38 and 39 (Figure 2). Ihe belts 21 and28 merely serve to clamp and hold the package in its proper positionthroughout the operations which are performed upon the bag in closingand sealing the open end.

Referring again to Figure 14,l it will be seen that the bag is firstmoved opposite the rollers 38 and 39, whereby the end portion of saidbag moves therebetween. These rollers serve to fiatten the end portionof the bag and clamp the same while the edge of said bag overlies orrides on the horizontal portion of the guide shoe 55 which is locatedimmediately behind the rollers 38 and 39. As movement of the bagcontinues, the outer or 'open end of the bag strikes the curved portionof the shoe 55 and, due to the curvature of said shoe, the outer end ofthe bag is turned upwardly. As said end is turned upwardly, the bagmoves between the next pair of rollers 50 and 5|.

As has been explained, the lower roller 58 of this pair is provided withthe annular flange 54 and, manifestly, since the inner end of the bag isturned upwardly, the bag or package A will pass between the rollers 58and 5I in the manner shown in Figure 14. The ange 54 of the lower roller50 will serve to crease the outer portion of the bag, bending theextreme outer edge thereof at substantially a right angle to theremainder of the bag.

After the outer portion of the bag has been turned upwardly by means ofthe rollers 50 and 5|, said outer portion enters the enlarged portion ofthe groove 51 in the block B. As it enters said groove, the upturnedportion of the bag or package abuts the inner vertical wall of saidgroove and passes therealong. The remainder of the extended portion ofthe bag passes beneath the elongate bar or linger 80, as is indicated inFigure 14. Continued movement of the bag causes the upturned portionthereof to strike the inclined upper wall 59 of the groove, which curvedwall bends the upturned portion downwardly over the bar or finger 68. Inthis manner, the material of the bag or package A is bent upon itself toform a fold which closes the open end of the bag.

When the device is operating, the electrical heating elements 12 whichare mounted in the block B (Figure 9) are also operating, whereby theblock is heated. After the bag is folded upon itself as has beenexplained, to close its open end, the folded portion of said bag mustpass through the narrow portion of the groove 51 in said block. As saidbag moves through this portion of the groove, it is heated, whereby thewax is melted to some degree.

Immediately upon leaving the groove 51, the folded portion of the bag ispassed between the crimping rollers 18. As has been explained, anydesired pressure may be applied to the folded portion and since the waxhas been softened by heating the fold will be tightly pressed againstthe remainder of the bag, whereby said fold will adhere thereto. As soonas the folded portion passes through the crimping rollers 14, it isentered between the pressure belts `l82 and 83. These belts apply afixed pressure to the fold and, while passing between said belts, thebag is permitted to cool. As the wax, which has been previously softenedby the heating operation, becomes cool, it will be evident that the foldwill adhere to the remainder of the bag. Thus, the fold will be firmlysealed and the open end of the bag permanently closed. As the bags passoutwardly from between the pressure belts 82 and 8l, they may beconducted to a suitable container, or otherwise disposed of.

From the foregoing, lt will be seen that `a simple and effective methodfor folding and sealing the open ends of packages is provided. 'I'heoperation is a continuous one 'as the bags are successively passedbetween the various rollers to be folded, then heated, then crimped, andflnally cooled under pressure. The various rollers, as has beenexplained, are yieldably mounted so that a proper pressure is at alltimes maintained to eiiiciently perform the various operations. A singleelectric motor 95 is employed for operating all of the movable parts.which makes for economy in operation. It is particularly pointed outthat the method disclosed herein provides for sealing the openends ofthe packages without the danger of damaging the contents of saidpackages. An important feature of the invention is the particular methodand means for automatically folding the open end portion of the bag orpackage upon itself.v It is this means which makes possible the closingand sealing of the packages without any manual labor or attention. It isnoted that although the method has been described with the bags movingfrom left to right in Figures 1 and 2, it is obvious that the mechanismcould be rearranged to move the bags in an opposite direction withoutdeparting from the invention.

The foregoing description ofthe invention is explanatory thereof andvarious changes in the size, shape and materials, as well as in thedetails of the illustrated construction, may be made, within the scopeof the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. An apparatus for closing and sealing packages including, a support,means for conveying a package to be closed and sealed longitudinally ofsaid support, a folding assembly comprising a pair of rollers one ofwhich has a peripheral flange, means for passing the end portion of thepackage between said rollers to cause folding of said end portion atsubstantially a right angle to the remainder of the package, a foldingassembly block for receiving the bent portion of the package and havingmeans for folding said portion back over the end portion of the package,and means for sealing said folded portion to the underlying portion ofthe package to seal the package.

2. An apparatus for closing and sealing wax coated packages including, asupport, means for conveying a package to be closed and sealed1ongitudinally of said support, a folding assembly comprising a pair ofrollers one of which has a peripheral flange, means for passing tJhe endportion of the package between said rollers to cause folding of said endportion at substantially a right angle to the remainder of the package,a folding assembly block for receiving the bent portion of the packageand having means for folding said portion back over the end portion ofthe package,.means for heating said folded portion to soften the waxcoating, and means for applying pressure to said heated portion to causecohesion of the contacting wax surfaces.

3. An apparatus for closing and sealing wax coated packages including, asupport. means for conveying a package to be closed and sealedlongitudinally of said support, a folding assembly comprising a pair ofrollers one of which has a peripheral flange, means for passing the endportion of the package between said rollers to cause folding of said endportion at substantially a right angle to the remainder of the package,a folding assembly block for receiving the bent portion of the packageand having means for folding said portion back over the end portion ofthe package, means for heating said folded portion to soften the waxcoating. means for applying pressure to said heated portion, and meansfor,maintaining said folded portion under a pressure while cooling tocause cohesion of the contacting wax surfaces.

4. As a sub-combination in a package sealing apparatus, a foldingassemblyincluding, a pair of rollers having their peripherles engaging,one of said rollers having a peripheral flange abutting the side of theother roller, whereby when the outer end portion of a package is passedtherebetween said end is bent at substantially a right angle to theremainder thereof, and a'folding block associated with said rollers andhaving an opening provided with a curved Wall for receiving and forfolding said bent portion downwardly so as to overlie the end portion ofthe package.

5. As a sub-combination in a package sealing apparatus, a foldingassembly including, a pair of rollers having their peripheries engaging,one of said rollers having a peripheral flange abutting the side of theother roller, whereby when the outer end portion of a package is passedtherebetween said end is bent at substantially a right angle to theremainder thereof, a curved guide shoe adjacent the rollers for aidingin bending said portion, and a folding block associated with saidrollers and having an opening provided with a curved wall for receivingand for folding said bent portion downwardly so as to overlie the endportion of the package.

6. An apparatus for closing and sealing bags including, a longitudinalsupport, a pair of endless belts adapted to receive a bag therebetweenfor conveying the same longitudinally of the support, a folding assemblydisposed in the path through which the open end of the bag is moved bythe conveyor belts, said folding assembly comprislng a pair of rollersfor receiving the end portion of the bag, a guide shoe adjacent therollers and co-acting therewith for affecting a folding of said endportion of the bag at substantially a right angle to the remainder ofsaidbag, a folding block beyond the rollers having a recess, thevertical wall of which is alined with the face of the guide shoe so asto receive the folded end of the bag, said vertical wall being graduallycurved to a horizontal plane, whereby as the end portion of the bagmoves therethrough, it is bent back upon the remainder of the bag, andmeans beyond the block for sealing the folded end of the bag.

7. An apparatus for closing and sealing bags including, a longitudinalsupport, a pair of endless belts adapted to receive a bag therebetweenfor conveying the same longitudinally of the support, a foldingassembly` disposed in the path through which the open end of the bag ismoved by the conveyor belts, said folding assembly comprising a pair ofrollers for receiving the end portion of the bag, a guide shoe adjacentthe rollers and co-acting therewith for affecting a folding of said endportion of the bag at substantially a right angle to the remainder ofsaid bag, a folding block beyond the rollers and in the path of the endportion of the bag, said block having a longitudinal groove in its facefor receiving the folded end portion of the bag, the inlet end of saidgroove being enlarged and beinggradually reduced with the vertical wallof the groove being gradually curved toward a horizontal plane, wherebyas the bent end portion of the bag moves therethrough, the bag is foldedupon itself to close the open end thereof, and means beyond the blockfor permanently fastening the folded end of the bag in a closedpostantially a right angle to the remainder of saidv bag, a foldingblock beyond the rollers and in the path of the end portion of the bag,said block having a longitudinal groove in its face for receiving thefolded end portion of the bag, the inlet end of said groove beingenlarged and being gradually reduced with the vertical wall of thegroove being gradually curved toward a horizontal plane, whereby as thebent end portion of the bag moves therethrough, the bag is folded uponitself to close the open end thereof, an elongate plate mounted withinthe groove and spaced from the lower end thereof with its innerlongitudinal edge spaced from the vertical wall of the groove, wherebythe bag moves beneath the plate while the bent end thereof passesthrough the space between the plate and vertical wall of the groove,such disposition of the bag causing the bent end thereof to be foldedback over the plate by its contact with the curved wall, whereby the endof said bag is closed, and means beyond the block for permanentlysecuring the fold of the bag in its closed position.

9. An apparatus for closing and sealing bags including, a longitudinalsupport, a pair of endless belts adapted to receive a bag therebetweenfor conveying the same longitudinally 'of the support, a foldingassembly disposed in the path through which the open'end of the bag ismoved by the conveyor belts, said folding assembly comprising a pair ofrollers for receiving the end portion of the bag, a guide shoe adjacentthe rollers and co-acting'therewith for affecting a folding of said endportion of the bag at substantially a right angle to the remainder ofsaid bag, a folding block beyond the rollers and in the path of the endportion of the bag, said block having a longitudinal groove in its facefor receiving the folded end portion of the bag, the inlet end of saidgroove being enlarged and being gradually reduced with the vertical wallof the groove being gradually curved toward a horizontal plane, wherebyas the bent end portion ofthe bag moves therethrough, the bag is foldedupon itself to close the open end thereof, heating means associated withthe block for heating the bag to soften the wax coating thereon, andpressure means beyond the block for applying pressure to the heatedfolded end portion of the bag to affect a sealing thereof.

10. An apparatus for closing and sealing bags including, a longitudinalsupport, a pair of endless belts adapted to receive a bag therebetweenfor conveying the same longitudinally of the support, a folding assemblydisposed in the path through which the open end rof the bag is moved bythe conveyor belts, said folding assembly comprising a pair of rollerslfor receiving the end portion o f the bag, a guide shoe adjacent therollers and co-acting therewith for aifecting a folding of said endportion of the bag at substantially a right angle to the remainder ofsaid bag, a folding block beyond the rollers and in the path of the endportion of the bag, said block having a longitudinal groove in ,its facefor receiving the folded end portion of the bag. the inlet end of saidgroove being enlarged and being gradually reduced with the vertical wallof they groove being gradually curved toward a.

horizontal plane, whereby as the bent end portion of the bag movestherethrough, the bag is folded upon itself to close the open endthereof, heating means associated with the block for heating the bag tosoften the wax coating thereon, pressure means Ibeyond the block forapplying pressure to the heated folded end portion of the bag to affecta. sealing thereof, and a single prime mover mounted on the support fordriving the conveyor belts, folding rollers and pressure means.

11. An apparatus for closing and sealing bags including, a longitudinalsupport, a pair of endless belts adapted to receive a bag therebetweenfor conveying the same longitudinally of the support, a folding assemblydisposed in the path through which the open end of the bag is moved bythe conveyor belts, said folding assembly comprising a pair of rollersfor receiving the end portion of the bag, a guide shoe adjacent therollers and co-acting therewith for affecting a folding of said endportion of the bag at substantially a right angle to the remainder ofsaid bag, a folding block beyond the rollers and in the path of the endportion of the bag, said block having a longitudinal groove in its facefor receiving the folded end portion of the bag, the inlet end of saidgroove being enlarged and being gradually reduced with the vertical wallof the groove being gradually curved toward a horizontal plane, wherebyas the bent end portion of the bag moves therethrough, the bag is foldedupon itself to closethe open end thereof, an elongated plate mountedwithin the groove and spaced from the lower end thereof with its innerlongitudinal edge spaced from the vertical wall of the groove, wherebythe bag moves beneath the plate while the bent end thereof passesthrough the space between the plate and vertical wall of the groove,such disposition of the bag causing the bent end thereof to be foldedback over the plate by its contact with the curved Wall, whereby the endof said bag is closed, heating means associated with the block forheating the bag to soften the wax coating thereon, and pressure meansbeyond the block for applying pressure to the heated folded end portionof the bag to affect a sealing thereof.

l2. An apparatus for closing and sealing bags including, a longitudinalsupport, a pair of endless belts adapted to receive a bag therebetweenfor conveying the same longitudinally of the support, a folding assemblydisposed in the path through which the open end of the bag is moved bythe conveyor belts, saidV folding assembly comprising a pair of rollersfor receiving the end portion of the bag, a guide shoe adjacent therollers and coacting-therewith for affecting a folding of said endportion of the bag at substantially a right angle to the remainder ofsaid bag, a folding block beyond the rollers and in the path of the endportion of the bag, said block having a longitudinal groove in its facefor receiving the folded end portion of the bag, the inlet endof saidgroove bengenlarged and being gradually reducedwith the vertical wall ofthe groove being gradually curved toward a horizontal plane, whereby asthe bent end portion of the bag moves therethrough', the bag is foldedupon itself to close the open end thereof, an elongate plate mountedwithin the groove and spaced from the lower end thereof with its innerlongitudinal edge spaced from the vertical wall of the groove, wherebythe bag moves beneath the plate while the bent end thereof passesthrough the space between the plate and vertical wall of the groove,such dispositionof the bag causing the bent end thereof to be foldedback over the plate by its contact with the curved wall, whereby the endof said bag is closed, heating means associated with the block forheating the bag to soften to wax coating thereon, pressure means beyondthe block for applying pressure to the heated folded end portion of thebag to affect a sealing thereof, and a single prime mover mounted on thesupport for driving the conveyor, belts, folding rollers and pressuremeans.

13. An apparatus for closing and sealing bags l including, alongitudinal support, a pair of endless belts adapted to receive a bagtherebetween for conveying the same longitudinally of the support, afolding assembly disposed in the path through which the open end of thebag is moved by the conveyor belts, said folding assembly comprising apair of rollers for receiving the end portion of the bag, the lowermostroller having a peripheral flange which is adjacent the peripheralportion of the side of the other roller so that the end portionyof thebag passes between the flange of one roller and the face of the otherroller, a guide shoe adjacent the rollers and co-acting therewith foraffecting a fold' ing of said end portion of the bag at substantially aright angle to the remainder of said bag, a folding block beyond therollers: having a recess, the vertical wall of which is alined with theface of the guide shoe so as t o receive the folded end of the bag, saidvertical wall being gradually curved to a horizontal plane, whereby asthe end portion of the bag moves therethrough, it is bent back upon theremainder of the bag, and

means beyond the block for sealing the folded end of the bag.

14. An apparatus for closing and sealing bags including, a longitudinalsupport, a pair of endless belts adapted to receive a bag therebetweenfor conveying the same longitudinally of the support, a folding assemblydisposed in the path through which the open end of the bag is moved bythe conveyor belts, the belts being round in cross-section andtravelling in a path contiguous to the folding assembly so that the bagsmay be filled up to said belts and the folding operation does not reducethe content size of said bag, said folding assembly comprising a pair ofrollers for receiving the end portion of the' bag, a guide shoe adjacentthe rollers and co-acting therewith for affecting a folding of said endportion of the bag at substantially a right angle to the remainder ofsaid bag, a folding block beyond the rollers having a recess, thevertical wall of which is alined with the face of the guide shoe so asto receive the folded end of the bag, said vertical wall being graduallycurved to a horizontal plane, whereby as the end portion of the bagmoves therethrough, it is bent back upon the remainder of the bag,andmeans beyond the block for sealing the folded end of the bag.

15. An apparatus for closing and sealing bags including, a longitudinalsupport, a pair of endless belts adapted to receive a bag therebetweenfor conveying the same longitudinally of the support, means foryieldably maintaining a pressure on the belts so as to yieldably clampthe bag therebetween, a folding assembly disposed in the path throughwhich the open end of the bag is moved by the conveyor belts, saidfolding assembly comprising a pair of rollers for receiving the endportion of the bag, a guide shoe adjacent the rollers and co-actingtherewith for affecting a folding of said end portion of the bag atsubstantially a right angle to the remainder of said bag, a foldingblock beyond the rollers having a recess, the vertical wall of which isalined with the face of the guide shoe so as to receive the folded endof the bag, said vertical wall being gradually curved to a, horizontalplane, whereby as the end portion of the bag uoves therethrough, it isbent back upon the remainder of the bag, and means beyond thev block forsealing the folded end of the bag.

LOUIE C. KIMPLE. FLOYD GAINES.

